Mumbai, April 20: Mumbai police on Wednesday said that the phones of Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut and NCP leader Eknath Khadse were tapped on the pretext of them being anti-social elements. During the investigation, it was found, that some other names were also mentioned as anti-social elements in State Intelligence Dept (SID) letter which was sent to the Additional Chief Secretary (ACS) Home for phone tapping that's why the ACS gave the permission for the same, Mumbai police said.

Police informed that the phone of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Eknath Khadse was tapped for 67 days while that of Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut was tapped for 60 days. Reacting to the matter, Raut said both leaders were falsely labelled by then SID commissioner Rashmi Shukla.

"The then SID commissioner Rashmi Shukla falsely labelled all of us whose phones were tapped as anti-social elements during government formation in 2019," Raut said. Mumbai Police Activate 'Social Media Lab' To Keep Check on Posts Inciting Communal Tensions in Maharashtra.

"Our privacy was breached. Centre giving protection to such police officers who are working for one party," he added. Earlier in the second week of the month, the Mumbai Police recorded the statement of Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut in the illegal phone tapping case against senior IPS officer Rashmi Shukla.

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